FAYETTEVILLE -- Three times since the NCAA added women's track and field to its championship lineup with the men in 1983 has the same college swept indoor titles the same year.
Arkansas hopes to add its name to that list of LSU (2004), Arizona State (2008) and Oregon (2014).
NCAA INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
WHEN Today and Saturday
WHERE Crossplex, Birmingham, Ala.
MEN’S NATIONAL RANKINGS No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3. Florida, No. 4 Texas A&M, No. 5 LSU.
WOMEN’S NATIONAL RANKINGS No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Arkansas, No. 5 Texas.
DEFENDING MEN’S CHAMPION Oregon
DEFENDING WOMEN’S CHAMPION Arkansas
The Razorbacks' men's and women's teams both have spent time ranked No. 1 in the coaches' polls this season and are No. 2 and No. 4 going into this weekend's NCAA indoor meet, which begins today in Birmingham, Ala.
Oregon replaced Arkansas atop the men's poll this week. The Razorbacks' women's team is ranked behind Florida, Oregon and Georgia.
"The way our training has gone, I think we're still on the upswing," said Arkansas men's Coach Chris Bucknam. "I don't think we've peaked.
"I think our best races and jumps are ahead of us, and that's encouraging."
Arkansas senior Jarrion Lawson, a 12-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion, will compete in the long jump, 60 meters and 1,600 relay team. He's tied with North Carolina State senior Jonathan Addison for the national long jump lead at 26-9 3/4.
"Jarrion seems really dialed in for the meet," Bucknam said. "I think he's ready to hopefully have great success."
Lawson leads an Arkansas contingent that has 10 athletes competing in nine events with 12 scoring opportunities.
Oregon is going for its third consecutive NCAA indoor championship and has 10 athletes competing in eight events with 10 scoring chances. The Ducks are top-heavy with the No. 1 marks in four events: Edward Cheserek in the 3,000 and 5,000; Blake Haney in the mile; and Devon Allen in the 60-meter hurdles.
"Cheserek is one of the elite athletes in the country, but he isn't a one-man show," Bucknam said. "Oregon is loaded."
Bucknam said that along with Arkansas and Oregon, other men's title contenders include Texas A&M, Florida and LSU.
The Razorbacks are going for their 21st men's indoor championship and second under Bucknam. They won the 2013 meet in Fayetteville.
"It's so hard to predict what's going to happen, but we're right there in the mix," Bucknam said.
Other highly rated Razorbacks are seniors Clive Pullen (fourth in the triple jump), Marqueze Washington (fourth in the 400) and Gabe Gonzalez (ninth in the 5,000), sophomore Kenzo Cotton (seventh in 60 and 10th in the 200) and junior Andreas Trajkovski (seventh in the long jump).
"All 10 of our guys have to get on the board, and have to score some big points," Bucknam said. "If we get some firsts and seconds, but not everybody scores, we don't win. If everybody scores, but we don't get any firsts or seconds, we're not going to win.
"It's going to take a combination of both."
Arkansas' women's team won last year's indoor national championship -- the first for the UA in any women's sport -- to end Oregon's five-year title streak.
Gone from that Razorbacks team are NCAA champions Dominique Scott (3,000 and distance medley relay) and Sandi Morris (pole vault).
"There was a build-up from previous years for us to win that championship," Arkansas women's Coach Lance Harter said. "This isn't necessarily a rebuilding year, but we have a lot of youth we're having to count on."
Arkansas freshmen Lexi and Tori Weeks, twin sisters from Cabot, rank No. 1 and No. 6 in the pole vault.
"This will be their first national meet, and that's a unique experience," Harter said. "But they've been incredibly consistent this year."
Razorbacks senior Taylor Ellis-Watson will run the 400, where she's No. 2 nationally, and on the 1,600 relay team. She qualified in the 200, but Harter said running Ellis-Watson in three events is risky.
"The times between all those races is so compacted," Harter said. "We didn't want to spread her too thin."
Arkansas has four entries in the pentathlon with No. 3-ranked Taliyah Brooks, Alex Gochenour, Payton Stumbaugh and Leigha Brown.
Brooks also is in the 60 hurdles and long jump and Stumbaugh is in the 60 hurdles and 1,600 relay.
"It's a good-sized contingent we've got," Harter said. "I think people in the stands are definitely going to notice Arkansas."
Oregon has 16 athletes competing, which Harter believes makes the No. 2 Ducks the team to beat despite Florida's No. 1 ranking.
"Oregon has athletes everywhere," Harter said. "Their depth puts them in the favorite's role."
Sports on 03/11/2016